Debuts

Marvel Knights Spider-Man #1 (of 5)

Marvel. Written by Matt Kindt. Art and Cover by Marco Rudy.

From the haunted heights of a mysterious castle to the dizzying depths of the deep seas, the Amazing Spider-Man has to take on not one, not six, not twelve — but ninety-nine of the Marvel Universe’s deadliest villains to save the lives of countless innocents!

LOVED THIS COMIC. Having indie comic writers write popular superheroes was a brilliant idea on Marvel’s part. Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) weaves a story that got me feeling like I was on a drug trip thanks to the help of Marco Rudy’s brilliant art. There were times where I had to go back and re-read things and really pay attention due to the nature of the story where Spider-Man is drugged and has to deal with only a fraction of the 99 villains he’s expected to encounter in these 5 issues.

Was it too much of a brain melt? Maybe. I am a bit confused with the story and where Kindt plans on taking it but I’m definitely invested. There was a particular panel on page 3 where Peter Parker looked a bit like Matt Smith (aka 11th Doctor on Doctor Who).

This was my first Spider-Man comic (I’ve been an avid Spider-Man fan through the animated shows and films) and I was very very pleased with this. I honestly just want to stare at Rudy’s art all day…

4 out of 5

– Ardo

Hinterkind #1

Vertigo. Written by Ian Edginton. Art by Francesco Trifogli. Cover by Greg Tocchini.

After her grandfather disappears, Prosper Monday must leave the security and seclusion of their Central Park village to venture into the wilds to find him, unaware of how much the world has changed. Or how hungry it has become…

I liked this, but I didn’t love it like I expected to. I’m a big fantasy fan – both in the comic world and in other mediums as well. But the first issue of Hinterkind just didn’t grab me.

I liked the idea of nature reclaiming the Earth, and creatures who we always thought were just myths, coming out of the shadows. But the world building doesn’t feel 100% convincing. I was never able to get to the point where I could suspend my disbelief enough. I had so many questions – like would zebras and lions survive for that long in the climate of the North-Eastern United States? and how did that zebra get on that roof anyways? There were also a lot of characters that needed to be introduced, but again not a lot of time was spent on them. I now recognize their faces and some of their names but feel no connection to them. But there is the workings of a good story in here and I want to give this comic a chance to answer some of my many questions. I’ll be picking up issue #2 but I’m not on board yet.

3 out of 5

– Christa

Villains Month

Forever Evil #2

DC Comics. Written by Geoff Johns. Art and Cover by David Finch.

The villains have taken over the world! The Teen Titans fight back! Can the inexperienced teen heroes do what the adults could not?

I am not a David Finch fan when it comes to his comic art and that’s just my personal taste. Art aside, I was really bored with issue two of this comic event. This was the last comic left on my pull list after starting out with a lot of Villains Month titles. After week one, it went down hill for me. After such a strong start with issue #1, Forever Evil has failed to retain my interest. The ending was probably the most interesting part of the entire thing but not enough for me to invest time and money. The story telling was very weak and this could just mean that I’ve been reading a lot of great comics lately and DC really needs to really step up it’s game at least with it’s superheroes.

P.S.

I liked the Superwoman from the Crisis on Two Earths animated film WAY more than this one.

2 out of 5

– Ardo

Regular

The Movement #5

DC Comics. Written by Gail Simone. Art by Freddie Williams II

The wealthy inhabitants of Coral City have had enough of The Movement’s civil disobedience, so they hire a goon squad of super powered mercenaries and set them loose in the city.

I’m really enjoying the direction this comic is going in. Now that we’re five issues in we’re being introduced to some of the nuances within the group itself. Some are keeping secrets and some are not who they claim to be. It’s making for a very layered and interesting story.

I also love the message within in this issue that a few people can make a huge difference. Already we’re seeing the impact of The Movement on the world at large. Similar movements are popping up in other cities and people are realizing that they have the power to enact change in their own lives, no matter how huge the problem appears to be. I hope this continues to be a theme throughout the series, giving a silver lining to an otherwise dark and depressing situation.

I particularly loved when Virtue is meeting with the police Captain and he points out that she’s not wearing her mask:

This serves as a reminder to me that though the members of The Movement look like superheroes and act like them – they’re vigilantes, “fighting for justice,” wear costumes etc – they are not your traditional heroes. They’re not out for fame or glory, or to be some sort of common ground between the police and the people. They are here to fight for what’s right. No more no less.

4 out of 5

– Christa

Trillium #3

Vertigo. Written by Jeff Lemire. Art by Jeff Lemire. Cover by Jeff Lemire.

After her mind-altering encounter with William, the wounded soldier from 1921, Nika is flung back to the far future, where she must face the repercussions of her actions. But will she be able to make sense of what’s happening to her in time to stop Earthlab’s genocide of the indigenous alien tribe?

Oh Trillium you really are something special.

The story is really starting to pick up steam with this new installment. Nika has returned to her own time and soon learns that her people are planning on destroying the strange blue alien race that guard the temple (and the trilliums) and simply taking what they want (sounds like humanity to me). She attempts to try and explain that the temple is actually a portal, but they refuse to listen. She then executes a daring escape from their sick bay, and heads back towards the temple to warn the aliens. You really get a good sense of Nika’s character in this issue – particularly what she values and the lengths she’ll go to defend those values. I also liked that she literally kicked butt.

The art continues to impress me. It’s so unique and the colours, as you can tell from the cover, are simply fantastic. It’s one of those comics that as soon I finished reading the issue I promptly turned around and started it again. It’s starting to explore some really interesting questions of survival, humanity and legacy and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Proxima Midnight is killing New York City one block at a time. Luke Cage’s ad-hoc Avengers might not be able to stop her. And the one hero who can is at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Think it can’t get worse? It can always get worse.

I feel bad for Al Ewing because he was able to make a compelling first issue story last month despite having this new book link up to the current Infinity event with the Marvel heroes. I dislike big event comics because 1) they happen too often in the two year that I’ve been reading actual ongoing titles and 2) most of the time they’re just an excuse to get more money. I’m not following the Infinity event for those reasons but also because I’m not versed in the complex and criss crossing of Marvel heroes’ histories.

I think the idea of this comic is FANTASTIC as a minority reader but being linked to the Infinity event is not doing the book’s justice. It’s holding Ewing back and from the first issue, I know he has the potential of creating a really interesting story. Unfortunately this comic wasn’t it. It’s a lot of flash and not enough substance. I like to get to know these characters more in a new series rather than just throwing readers into battle where most of the story so far is punching people.

I wasn’t completely sold on the art. There were awkward moments like the one below where this colourful Spider-Man doesn’t look like he’s kneeing that guy’s face effectively.

I don’t know if I should continue with this comic. It’s sad when an all minority teamed book may never happen again if this one doesn’t do well but what happens when it’s not the characters but the writing that’s not worth my buck? *sigh*